a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of medical gowns. More particularly, the present invention relates to a medical gown that preserves a patient's privacy while allowing access to selected portions of the patient for examination and/or treatment.
b. Background
When a patient visits a chiropractor, osteopath, physician, or physical therapist, the patient is often required to disrobe, at least partially to accommodate an examination and/or a treatment. Many disrobed patients are provided with a hospital or examination gown (hereinafter "examination gown"). However, from the patient's perspective, the need to don the conventional examination gown makes for an uncomfortable experience.
One problem with the conventional examination gown is that it was designed to allow access to the most commonly examined portions of the patient's body. However, the conventional examination gown covers the patient's shoulders, neck and upper back. To examine or treat these latter areas, the conventional examination gown must be unfastened behind the patient's neck and pulled forward or completely removed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that facilitates the treatment and/or examination of the patient's neck, back and spine. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that would be useful to a chiropractor, osteopath, physician or physical therapist during the examination and/or treatment of a patient's neck, back and/or spine.
Because such treatments may be monitored by x-ray, it is an object of the present invention that the examination gown by x-ray compatible. To accommodate the examination and treatment of both males and females, it is also an object of the present invention that the examination gown be designed to individually accommodate both a woman and a man, i.e., to be "unisex."
Another problem with the conventional examination gown is that it is awkward to put on. The conventional examination gown resembles a short sleeve shirt or blouse that is put on backwards. Unlike a shirt or blouse, the conventional examination gown is secured by a single snap or tie behind the patient's neck. Many elderly or disabled patients are unable to reach behind their necks to snap or tie their gown. Others, particularly those suffering from back pain, find it difficult to reach behind their necks with both arms to snap or tie their examination gown. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that does not require the wearer to place both hands behind the neck to achieve closure.
An additional problem with the conventional examination gown is that it remains open from the top closure along the entire length of the patient's backside. As a result, the gown reveals the patient's lower posterior anatomy as the patient stands or moves about. A particularly embarrassing situation arises when the patient must lay face down on an examination or treatment table, i.e., the side panels of the conventional examination gown fall to the patient's side, completely exposing the patient's lower backside anatomy, i.e., buttocks. Most patients consider their lower backside anatomy to be private and feel uncomfortable when it is exposed, particularly when it is not the subject of the examination or treatment. As a result, many patients choose not to remove their lower underwear when donning the conventional examination gown. Even when wearing their lower underwear, many of these patients, particularly women, still feel tense. In contrast, most medical examinations and treatments yield better results when the patient is relaxed. This is especially true of treatments, such as manipulations, that are administered by a chiropractor or an osteopath. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a medical examination gown that preserves a patient's privacy, that allows a patient to feel comfortable about one's self, and that facilitates treatment by reducing the tension that a patient feels.
The practice of requiring a patient to wear a conventional examination gown can also be detrimental to the patient's relationship with his doctor. The loss of dignity that a patient feels wearing a conventional examination gown can ultimately build up to resentment. Patient compliance has always been a problem. However, certain types of treatments, such as manipulations, cancer treatments, and physical therapy, require that the patient voluntarily attend a proscribed series of sessions. The patient's willingness to attend all the sessions may be facilitated if the patient is provided with an examination gown that protects the patient's sense of dignity.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gown for examination and/or treatment of a patient that protects a patient's dignity. It is a further object of the present invention that the gown cover the patient's private areas during examination and/or treatment. It is yet another object of the present invention that the gown allow a chiropractor, osteopath, physician, or physical therapist to have proper access to the non-private areas of a patient's body for examination and/or treatment.
One attempt to produce an examination gown that preserves a patient's dignity is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,757 (Richmond), which issued on Feb. 1, 1983. In Richmond, the examination garment resembles a pair of chaps, such as worn by cowboys, which is open in the back and ties behind the waist. According to Richmond, modesty protection is provided by a foldable modesty panel which extends downward from the crotch area to cover the patient's genitalia. However, Richmond's gown suffers from the same problem as the conventional hospital gown, i.e., the patient's lower posterior (i.e., rump) area remains exposed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that not only covers a patient's genitalia, but also the patient's rump area as well. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that does not require tying behind the waist.
Another attempt to produce an examination gown that protects a patient's sense of dignity is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,932 (Doyle) which issued on Mar. 10, 1992. Doyle's examination garment resembles a unisex "jump suit or coveralls" ['932 at col. 2, ln. 56] having a "crotch slit" [col. 2, ln. 47] and "[e]xcess fabric surround[ing] the crotch slit" [col. 2, at ln. 51]. The crotch slit, while covering the genitalia, provides an access to the genitalia that may be uncomfortable to some patients. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an examination gown that provides access to all areas of a patient's body except the patient's private areas.